The mission of the Institute for Physical Science and Technology (IPST) is to pursue interdisciplinary research and education at the University of Maryland. The Institute provides support for theoretical and experimental research in areas at the intersection of traditional disciplines. Current research interests include:

• Non-equilibrium Systems, Emergent Materials and Active Matter
• Networks Science and Dynamical Systems
• Quantitative Life Sciences
• Energetic Particle Astrophysics & Space Technology
• Applied Mathematics & Scientific Computation

Several Distinguished University Professors on campus hold appointments in IPST and several of the faculty are members of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering.

There are over three dozen faculty members in IPST, most of whom hold joint appointments with academic units in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and/or the A. James Clark School of Engineering. The Institute is also home to most of the university's interdisciplinary graduate programs. The Applied Mathematics & Statistics, and Scientific Computation; Biophysics; and Chemical Physics graduate degree programs supported by the Institute offer M.S. and Ph.D. degrees and faculty supervision for graduate students in these and other programs.